Red Demon (2011)
by Hideki Noda
Directed by Peter Stevens
Performances: Wed 2nd – Sat 11th March 2011, Bell Theatre
Contents
Introduction
A storm rages at sea. The survivors of a boat wreck are washed up on the shores of an isolated fishing community; a young woman, an outcast from that community, her brother Tombi and Mizukane, an affable grifter. Rescued and revived by the villagers, two days later, That Woman dies. Her brother thinks he understands why and so Tombi tells 'The Story of My Little Sister who was Killed by Eating a Bowl of Shark's Fin Soup'. Hideki Noda's play, translated from the Japanese and first performed in the UK at the Young Vic in 2003, explores themes of xenophobia and jealousyin an unusual and humorous manner. In finding a play for the Youth Group to perform this year, we wanted to experiment with theatrical styles and try something a bit different. I'd had an interest in exploring Japanese Noh theatre for some time, primarily based on the influence Noh theatre had on Physical theatrethrough the likes of Steven Berkoff.Whilst we barely scratched the surface of this rich and interesting art form, the results produced in our regular Saturday sessions were very exciting. A secondary challenge was to find a play that would be of interest and find interesting roles for at least 20 performers. With Noda's play, we found an allegorical tale told in a unique way. The original script has been translated and adapted into various languages. In version has been translated literally and re-worked in an attempt to be more appealing to each specific culture and it is worth noting that Noda seeks to break away from the stylised theatre of Noh. In this production we have sought to create a world that is both familiar and strange, drawing influences from the traditional and contemporary. It should be noted that the language used by some of the characters within the sow is not what we actively encourage members of the Youth Group to use. However, one of the joys of theatre, and what we do encourage within our sessions, is the freedom to step out of their own world and explore the possibilities of others in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment, however different that may be. We hope you enjoy the show.
Cast
- That Woman - Katie Patrick
- Tombi - Jakob Hedberg
- Red Demon - Stanley Myers O'Mulloy
- Mizukane - Pierre Evans
- Villager - Lianne Abrahams
- Villager - Shadrach Amar-Johnson
- Mother - Emilia Capitelli
- Villager - George Cook
- Father - Adam Ede
- Villager - Martine Harrison
- Head Elder - Lauren Iliffe
- Hag/Elder - Marnie Jacobsen
- Villager/Elder - Piper Jacobsen
- Villager - Sam Johnstone
- Villager - Kitty Judge
- Villager - Oleksandr Lugovyi
- Villager - Ciaran O'Brien
- Villager - Louise O'Hara
- Villager/Judge - Raffaella Patmore
- Villager/Elder - Conor Sales
Crew
- Stage Manager - SM Name
- Lighting Design - Designer Name
- Lighting Operator - Operator Name
Reviews
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Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
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See Also
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References
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External Links
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